Hard-headed

Tonight my stubborn demeanor poured into the kitchen. I had big plans to use tofu for the first time, but the silken tofu living in my pantry had a different idea. For the past week, I’ve been envisioning tofu baked in an enchilada sauce. This seemed like a no-fail recipe.

I did second guess baking the tofu as part of it crumbled off the block when I cut into it. Hmmm I thought – It’ll still work.

I first carefully sliced the tofu into strips, and then moved it over to an enchilada sauce marinating dish. I pre-heated the oven to 375* and left my tofu to get friendly with the sauce while I ran through the shower.

Ten minutes and clean-as-can-be later, I lined a cookie sheet with foil, delicately transferred the tofu, and said a quick prayer as I shut the oven door.

Forty-five minutes and a 50* increase later, with a bag of blue corn chips in one hand (starving!), I decided that my silken tofu was just not going to bake up like I wanted it to.

I placed my steamy, limp tofu on a bed of spinach and corn, sprinkled some chili pepper on top for some flavor, and added a handful of blue corn chips for good measure.

It looked really good and didn’t taste bad, but was lacking that outside crunch. Next time I’ll remember that packaging has descriptions for a reason. And silken means “stays limp and creamy no matter how hot it gets.”

After dinner I wanted something sweet, which is as unusual as the earth spinning around.

I grabbed a piece of freshly slice cantaloupe (which is also not at its prime ripeness yet..what can I say – it looked really good at the grocery store). I ate half a piece and then opted to add something that made the night 10 times better.

So good. I was afraid of the almond in this because of my previous harsh experience with self-serve almond butter at the grocery store, but it’s perfect.

Last week, I had a repeat delicious experience at the Maharaja lunch buffet.

Confession: I didn’t eat the iceberg. I did have another naan.

I also tried the new (and first!) frozen yogurt place in town – Spoonful.

Hidden beneath my toppings – chocolate and birthday cake froyo. Loved the birthday cake. Toppings include strawberries, Reese’s, sprinkle chocolate chips and I think that’s it. Spoonful is completely self-serve. You get your own frozen yogurt and then add on toppings. I’m glad I’m on the other side of town for eight hours a day because, if not, I would hit this up every day.

WOAH – Nick just tried my tofu fail, and he actually liked it! I think he’s just really hungry, but at least it’s not going to waste.

What’s your favorite way to prepare tofu? Please share. I need all the help I can get.

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2 thoughts on “Hard-headed”

yay! I’m glad you liked Spoonful! I too tried the b’day cake variety. Have you been to the ice cream shop across from the Lowe’s in Tech Terrace? They have a new birthday cake flavor of ice cream and it is To. Die. For.

My fave way to prepare tofu is to cut it up in little chunks and spray it down with cooking spray, sprinkle it with salt, then bake it until it gets good and tough on the outside. Then I use it in Indian food or put it on a salad. I always get Extra Firm though. I want to try experimenting with a marinade or something though.

Mmm I just love tofu. But I will admit that I like it limp and uncooked- so pillowy and doughy straight from the package! I’ve never experimented with silken before, I tend to buy extra firm.
My recipe for a crispy outside, chewy inside is : Press as much of the moisture out of the tofu as possible with paper towels. Slice it into strips or cubes and toss it with a little oil (sesame oil tastes great). Bake it at 425 for about 15-20 minutes or until the outside has developed a crust.
Delicious. I’ve also pan fried it in a little oil and used it for stir fries.